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A.M. #48: Nashville

Posted Apr 27, 2013
by Shawn Mitchell
| 0 comments

First, we set the table for the final time:

A Blue Jackets win over Nashville in the season finale tonight coupled with a regulation loss by Detroit at Dallas OR a regulation, overtime or shootout loss by Minnesota at Colorado would put the Jackets in the playoffs for the second time in franchise history. So would an overtime or shootout loss by Columbus coupled with a regulation loss by Minnesota.

Tonight’s game is likely the most meaningful regular-season game in the history of what will be a sold-out Nationwide Arena. Buckle up.

Now, we dig in:

The Blue Jackets hit the ice at 10 a.m. this morning for their pregame skate. Center Artem Anisimov, out for the past five games because of a head/neck injury, took part and will return to the lineup tonight against the Predators.

Anisimov will slot into the fourth line in place of winger Colton Gillies and center Derek MacKenzie and Jared Boll. The Jackets’ No. 4 goal scorer (11 goals) said hasn’t practiced with the team since he suffered in the injury after a crushing hit by Wild forward Charlie Coyle in the opening minute of a 3-2 Jackets win on April 13.

Jackets coach Todd Richards said he did not hesitate to put Anisimov back in the lineup in such a crucial game. Anisimov’s presence will give Richards more special teams flexibility and make it easier to roll four lines, something the Jackets have gotten away from in recent games.

Richards said he had neither fire nor brimstone planned for tonight. That’s not his style. The Jackets, based on their loose and confident manner, likely don’t need it.

“There are times you draw on emotions,” Richards said. “But I’m not an Al Pacino or Herb Brooks. You get up and talk and talk from the heart. That’s pretty impactful, pretty powerful."

It’s not as if the Jackets need much motivation, anyway. They saw what happened to Minnesota in a 6-1 loss to also-ran Edmonton in St. Paul last night. They are focused. They are confident. Was that swagger? Maybe. Whatever it was, Richards noticed.

“You could see it in their eyes,” Richards said. “They’re focused. They’ve earned this opportunity to play in this big game. And the fans have been patient and they’ve earned this opportunity, too. We have to use the energy that is going to be in the building. But you can’t become lost in it. You have to stay on task, stay focused.”

Jackets Vinny Prospal, Brandon Dubinsky, Marian Gaborik and Anisimov were in the same situation two seasons ago with the New York Rangers. They needed to win their final game and get help to qualify for the No. 8 seed in the East. They beat New Jersey 5-2 in an afternoon game then watched Tampa Bay beat Carolina that night. They took care of business and got the help they needed.

“I’ve thought about it,” Prospal said. “But on the other hand it’s a different year and team. The simplest way to put it is that you have to take care of what you can control.”

The experience of the former Rangers will help, Richards said, as will that of other Jackets veterans who have played in big games late in the season elsewhere.

But there is something to be said for the blissful ignorance of youth. The Jackets are the youngest team in the NHL.

“Sometimes it’s the youth that can help, too,” Richards said. “Just not thinking about it, just going out and playing. We were all young once and not a lot bothered us. You just go out and do things. You didn’t have time to think that this means a lot or this is big. You just go out and play.”

An informal sample of the Jackets determined they slept well last night, save for Mark Letestu, who has a newborn at home. They oozed loose confidence during their morning skate, then obliged a large media contingent in a packed locker room afterward. As usual, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, seated at his “head of the table” stall, sat quietly, in deep focus. Save for the extra bodies and microphones, it was business as it’s been since the Jackets, 11-1-3 in their past 15 home games, flipped their switch in March.

Richards said he expects butterflies about 10 minutes before faceoff, and that is a good thing.

The Jackets know the atmosphere in Nationwide will be more charged than it’s been since Game 4 of the 2009 playoff series loss to Detroit. Emotions must be controlled.

“If you say you’re not nervous then there is something wrong,” defenseman James Wisniewski said. “But we’ve prepared for the last month and a half for a game like this. I don’t think anything is going to change. We expect excellence from each other. We just have to make sure we don’t try to do too much in front of this rowdy crowd tonight.”

The Predators (16-22-9) have lost nine of their past 10 and are an injury-riddled shell of their former selves. They will start backup goalie Chris Mason. Four of their forwards have seven games or fewer of NHL experience. But they are dangerous, just as Edmonton was in their shocking trip to Minnesota.

“Most of the guys in our room, including myself, know what it’s like to play the role of the spoiler,” Richards said. “It’s something you thrive on. You’re looking for some sort of motivation and it’s motivation for them. I know their captain (Shea Weber) and know what type of person he is and he’s going to have that team ready to go. I know their coach. He’s going to have that team ready to go. They can just go out and play loose. That’s what we have to try to do tonight, not get so caught up in it where it affects our ability to do what we want to do.”

Side dishes

--Predators coach Barry Trotz said his staff made the decision to start Mason over Pekka Rinne in the final two games last week. Rinne, he said, is dealing with an undisclosed injury.

--Hard to think anybody in the Nashville organization would say this about Minnesota, but here’s Trotz, at length, on the Blue Jackets: “I know Columbus is going to be geeked up. I know the fire marshal will probably have to turn a blind eye to everybody tonight. But I think that’s great. It’s great for the city, for the Blue Jackets. I think Todd (Richards) has done an exceptional job after a tough start to really get everybody believing. They’ve got a great culture. I look at all the things that Columbus is doing right now and applaud them. I’m jealous. That’s where we used to be on a lot of nights, getting good goaltending, (being) hard to play against, no real stars other than your goaltender and some top players but not that one offensive guy that you sort of key on. They’re doing it as a group. You can tell, they’re playing with joy, with fun, with a lot of detail. That’s great. I think the Jackets – I hope they get in, but we’re going to try everything for them not to get in, if you know what I mean. I have a lot of respect for what they’ve done and how they’ve done it this year. The fans will embrace that. It’s going to be loud in here. If the Jackets get in, or they don’t, I think the fans should stand up and applaud all night because they’ve done a terrific job.“

--Columbus is 3-1 vs. Nashville this season. Bobrovsky started all four games but was pulled from a 5-2 loss on March 23 in Nashville after giving up four goals on 11 shots. It is one of the very few blemishes on Bobrovsky’s Vezina-caliber season. Overall, Bobrovsky is 4-1 (2.83/.918) against Nashville. Mason has been superb against the Jackets (16-4-2, 2.05, .931, 1 shutout).

--Still no word on how the Jackets will handle out-of-town score updates tonight in Nationwide. Detroit-Dallas begins at 7 p.m. Minnesota-Colorado begins at 7:30. Richards said he will probably check scores “a little bit” during intermissions. But, “Right now our focus is on this game, plain and simple,” he said. “It’s not going to matter what is going on out of town if we don’t take care of business here. First and foremost we have to take care of what we can control. We’ll worry about things after that. I’m not going to get caught up in it. I saw what could happen last night (in Minnesota). That should be a wakeup call for everyone.”

--Minnesota did not hold a morning skate in Denver. They will play at 5:30 local time. Coach Mike Yeo told the Star Tribune last night that he plans to start Niklas Backstrom tonight. Backstrom allowed three goals on five shots before being pulled against Edmonton, but he has been stellar (21-2-4) in starts following those in which he has been pulled.

--According to reporters in Dallas, the Stars will start backup goalie Richard Bachman against the Red Wings. Detroit plans no lineup changes.

--Trotz and Phoenix coach Dave Tippett were named assistant coaches for the World Championships by Hockey Canada this morning.

--Last word to Jackets forward Mark Letestu, when asked about the “big picture:” I would say things are certainly a lot different than last year. This is a different club, a different culture a different way of looking at things. But I think we’ve certainly been galvanized by what we went through last year. Now we’re reaping the rewards. There is certainly optimism. We’ve taken steps. But we want to be in the playoffs dearly. I would hope that everyone in this room would feel like the season would still be a disappointment if we didn’t get in. That should be the mentality. It’s playoffs or bust for this group and if that becomes the mentality then we’re going to be good for a long time here. “

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